Patient-carrying vehicle for hospitals



" Filed June 26, 1952 Oct. 19, 1954 R. M. WEST PATIENT-CARRYING VEHICLE FOR HOSPITALS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 2 /0/9490 M Mar ATTORNEY 0a. 19, 1954 R. M. was-r 2,691,782

'- PATIENT-CARRYING VEHICLE FOR HOSPITALS Filed June 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 2 m #4190 M 14 1557 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE PATIENT-CARRYING VEHICLE FOR HOSPITALS 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to hospital appliances, having particular reference to an improved wheeled carrier vehicle adapted for the transfer of patients, while disposed in prone positions, between hospital beds and operating room tables, or on other analogous situations.

The ordinary wheeled carrier vehicles for hospital use, as the same are now generally constructed, provide a frame which is equipped at the top thereof with a stationary bed, the latter forming a fixed part of the frame on which patients are placed in prone positions for transference between one department of the hospital and another. Considerable difiiculty is often encountered in the operation of such a conventional carrier in lifting, for instance, a patient upon whom a surgical operation has just been performed, and transferring the patient from the carrier vehicle and placing the patient on the mattress of a standard hospital bed. Often, the operation requires the combined services of two or more nurses or attendants in effecting such transfer, and accomplishing the same in a manner preventing or minimizing physical discomfort on the part of or injury to the patient.

Among others, therefore, the present invention has for certain of its objects: to provided a wheeled hospital carrier embodying a frame on which is mounted a laterally shiftable patientreceiving bed, and wherein the latter is so formed as to be capable of being projected laterally to one side or the other of the carrier vehicle in order that said bed may overlie the mattress of the associated hospital bed, so that a patient may be discharged from the carrier vehicle and deposited on the bed with but a minimum of help and with the positive assurance that the patient will not be dropped; to provide a shiftable bed for hospital carrier vehicles in which the bed is composed of a plurality of pivotally united longitudinally extending, parallel slatmembers, and wherein each of the slat members at the ends thereof is equipped with anti-friction devices or rollers which are movable in frame-carried guides, whereby to facilitate lateral shifting movement of the carrier bed on its supporting frame; to provide a hospital carrier of the type set forth in which the frame thereof is provided at its sides with hinged extension brackets, which normally extend parallel with the length of the carrier frame, but which are capable of assuming laterally disposed positions in which the brackets p-roject perpendicularly from the sides of the carrier frame, the said brackets serving as supporting members for the laterally shiftable bed of the 2 carrier vehicle when said bed is moved outwardly from one side or the other of the carrier frame; to provide a construction of this character in which the extension brackets are formed with groove-like guides which are adapted to be brought into registry with corresponding guides provided in the transversely extending stationary end members of the carrier frame, the said guides receiving the antifriction devices or rollers formed on the ends of the slat members of the laterally shiftable carrier bed, whereby to provide full support for and to facilitate movement of said bed in all its operating positions; and, finally, to provide a hospital carrier which constitutes generally an improvement upon previous types of carriers heretofore employed in the capacity set forth.

These, and other objects and advantages of the invention, which will be obvious to those familiar with the art, are attained by means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, as follows:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a hospital carrier vehicle formed in accordance with the present invention; In this figure, the vehicle has been illustrated as disposed adjacent to a mattressed hospital bed, and with the extension brackets of the carrier vehicle projected over the mattress of the hospital bed in obtaining extended lateral movement of the bed of the carrier vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view on an enlarged scale, disclosing the lateral shiftable bed of the carrier vehicle in an extreme position of lateral extens1on;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the slatmember carried rollers provided in connection with the shiftable bed construction of my improved carrier vehicle.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there has been illustrated at l a hospital carrier vehicle in which is incorporated the mechanical features of the present invention. The carrier comprises a metallic frame 2 which, in this instance, is formed to comprise parallel, longitudinally extending, side rails 3. The latter are united at their ends by transversely disposed, stationary end members 4. Extending rigidly and the frame structure is a carrier bed .3.- :Patients are adapted to be placed in a prone position on this bed for transportation from one department of a hospital, for example, to another." In this 1 instance, the bed 8 is formed tocomprisea plu-. rality of longitudinally extending parallel, close-- ly related slat members 9. The opposite ends of each of these members are, in one form of my invention; connected 2 with :metallic plates it,

which-are disposed-i preferably on :the' underside l or surfaces-of said slatwmeinbersl In tl1is..in-;

stance, .each'plate is iormedowith: a dependingjournaled'a roller l 3;: :Also; said plates are hinged ears I l; which carries a-studl2;-upon which-is together-ina manner flexibly uniting the "slat members as at Ha; By reference to-Figs. 2 2.112173 of :thedrawings, (particularly; it willrfpe. noted that-the rollers are positioned insupporting and guiding: grooves M, which extend lengthwiseof the inner face vof each of the Ch3.l'1l19l"l1'l6lnb8rS-' 4, and aredisposedina horizontal plane above that-oftcp flanges of the side :rails .3, as shown" In orderrto permitthe bed28 tozbe moved laterally beyond the longitudinal sides. of: the car-.- rier rframe, use: is: made: :ofextensible and re tractable frame-carried bedsupports: As an ex.

ampleof such supports and in the drawingsthere is hinged as at [5 to-the ends 'of-ithe angle rails? 25 extensionbracketsriay Asshownat-the right of Fig. 1, these brackets are normallypositioncd to extend .parallel or longitudinallywith the rails 3, where they .willbe out of ,the way; However,

When'it is desired to move thebed 8 laterally toone side or the otherof. the frame '2 ,2- the brackets: is onthe side of .the frame towardwhichrthe bed. is to-sbe :moved are turned about their. hinges so that. said brackets extend at substantially; rightangles to;the. plane of, the rail. 3 to :whichqtheyare attached. When such: extended positions the. ends .of' the bed-supporting:- and 1 guiding grooves ll formed in the inner surfaces of::the bracketsare brought into registry'with thercoms plementaltgrooves- 14 of the. end frame members l,so.that. the rollers l3providedion the ends of" the slat members of the bed 8 may be caused-to travel inthe: grooves-ll in/the same manner :as they travel in the grooves l4, sustaining :the weight of the bed- 8 and that of 'an invalid or pa? tient disposed thereon and facilitating movement thereof; It lwill'be notedthat the grooves i? are, as .shovvn'i-in Fig; 3, substantially'of' u-shaped formation. Bywsuchformaticn the slatmembers of the bed 8 are enabled to turnaround-the outer ends of the brackets lfilwhile their spaced order is :maintained;- The longitudinal edgesv of the slat members are roundedas at lla'toavoidany. possibility of pinchingthe patient between them if .thesame come together when in a horizontal..

plane.

By this construction one person may easily remove a patient from the table provided by the carrier without injury .or discomfort to.,the patient. Thus, by locating the carrier as shown in Fig l, the bed thereof may be moved laterally in a manner which will cause the slat members to turn about the U-shaped outer ends of the guide grooves ll of the brackets 16, thereby depositing the patient gently and without discomfort, or the expenditure of any considerable effort on the part of the attendant in making the transfer; Similar convenience is-obtainable in transferring a patient from a hospital bed to the carrier bed as there is little or no lifting of the patient. It will be noted that the brackets ['6 are provided. on both sides of the frame 2, a feature of-ldecided advantage in manipulating the carrier in crowded hospital rooms or wards, where restrictions imposed by closely positioned furnitureprevent. free manipulation of the carrier on a floor surface. Because of the rollered support providedfor the rigidly united slat members of the carrier bed, the latter shifts easily from one operatingposition to :another with but slighihcxpenditure of physical efiort. It will be..under.-.-...- stood thatthe legs 5 may be-telescopiclto vary. the height of the framef, as is wellknown inthe. art..

Certain substitutionsof materials, part .ar-.- rangement and'variations in structural contour will be obvious to those skilled in the art and.may.. be employed without exceeding the scope oft-the invention as described in the foregoing teachingso and in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable carri r for transporting invalids, and hospital patients; comprising: a. rigid rectangular frame composed of spacedparallellongia tudinally extending side members, transversely. disposed end members rigidly united-with the ends of said side members and vertically depend-r, ing wheel-carrying legs rigidlyjoineduat their. upper ends with the corners of said frame, said end members being formed with guideways ex.-. tending linearly thereof; horizontally disposed extension brackets hinged to the outer corneru portions. of-saidv frame for swinging. movement. I about verticalnaxes between. retracted inactivepositions. in which said brackets extend. parallel withand. adjacent to said :side members and active-extended positions in which. the. brackets-.7. project perpendicularly from said sideimembers andinpositions of registry withsaid'endmenh bers to-form continuations thereof, said brackets being formed withguideways which register with. those of the end members when said brackets-,- occupy their active positionsof extension theh guidewayofeach bracket including upper. and lower parallel portions which areljoinedv at their. outer ends by an arcuate semi-circular portion a horizontally disposed patient-receiving bedcomposed of a plurality of parallel longitudinal1y,ex.-.. tending slat members arranged in immediately. adjacent order and coextensive with thelength of said frame; connecting means hingedly-unit: ing said-slat members adjacent to their relatively adjoining longitudinal edges; and roller .means, carried at the ends of: said slat membersand.. received in certainof the guideways of said. 811K151 members and brackets, the hingednconnectingz. meansv of said'slat members providing for. ;trans.-. verse flexing 'of the bedformed thereby in\en-. ablingsaid bed to fold upon itself .While posie. tioned in theupper, lower.andarcuateportions. of the guideways provided in the bracket. extensions.

2. A portable carrier as defined in claimrl and": wherein the .connecting means .uniting vsaid*sla members embody a, plurality of plate sections rigidly secured to the ends of said slat members, said plate sections being formed with interfitting pintle-receiving hinge sleeves at their ends and with integral depending ears upon which said roller means are mounted, and pintles ositioned in said sleeves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ame Date Number 6 Name Date Lari-aburu Nov. 28, 1916 Vizents Feb. 11, 1919 Lavigne Mar. 18, 1924 Schifihover et a1. Jan. 5, 1932 Gilleland Oct. 31, 1950 Gilleland Mar. 10, 1953 

